The present invention relates to a machine for wrapping groups of cigarettes in packets.
In the following specification, the term “packet” denotes a wrapping designed to contain a group of cigarettes, or tobacco products generally.
Such packets as a rule present a substantially parallelepiped appearance and consist of a wrapper, in direct contact with the cigarettes, which may also be enclosed in a container or outer wrapper.
The outer wrapper, when of rigid type, is made up from a flat diecut blank presenting fold lines and notched cuts and can comprise, for instance, a body of cup-like appearance, a lid hinged to a back edge of the cupped body, and a frame positioned inside the selfsame cupped body, secured to a front wall and to two side walls.
The inner wrapper, in turn, is fashioned from a leaf of metallized or metal foil paper.
More and more frequently, such packets present lettering and/or graphic elements which, being of interest to the consumer, must be rendered clearly visible and localized to suit the various countries of sale and the individual brand of product.
For this reason and, where possible, to allow the use of a standard type blank for all countries, the practice is for packets of the type in question to include coupons or inserts such as cards, leaflets and the like, carrying written and pictorial information targeted at the consumer.
Conventionally, and in the case of the packets described above, such coupons are inserted between the inner wrapper and one larger side wall of the outer wrapper.
Accordingly, the aforementioned wall of the outer wrapper presents a window through which consumers are able to view the portion of the coupon on which the lettering and graphic elements are printed.
Cigarette packers require extensive modification to produce this type of packet; machines must be equipped not only with units by which the groups of cigarettes are assembled and enveloped in the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper, but also with a unit for inserting the coupons between the two wrappers.
To this must be added the costs of manufacturing and storing various types of coupon, which may be different one from another and therefore need to be changed, even with each new production cycle.
The object of the present invention is to provide a machine for wrapping groups of cigarettes in packets, such as will be unaffected by the above noted drawbacks deriving from the addition of coupons to cigarette packets.